Examining the Deficit Narrative

This chapter addresses the deficit-laden narratives about Black boys by offering a dramatic alternative, that is, a paradigm shift to recognize and value the funds of knowledge of Black boys, and in doing so, redefine the constructs of success for Black boys. As a starting point, the author contends that researchers, teachers, school and district administrators, and policymakers must unequivocally reject and rebuke current deficit-based narratives about Black boys. These false narratives, which are harmful to Black boys, make it impossible for them ever to find success or be viewed as successful in K-12 education. A critical paradigm was selected as most appropriate. Using the African American Male Theory as well as an Anti-Deficit Framework, this chapter will highlight the funds of knowledge of Black boys to demonstrate counter-stories of their learning and successes, and in doing so, not only rewrite the deficit narratives of Black boys, but also broaden academia's perspective on how we define knowledge and whose knowledge counts.

Sustaining the Sociopolitical Spirit of Bilingual Education

In this chapter, the authors contribute results and recommendations from a study featuring the assessment perspectives of school and district administrators of bilingual education programs from two regional areas in the United States. They also present research literature that informs how teaching and learning environments structure membership and belonging as social desirability factors for students from diverse national and English-language backgrounds.

Becoming a STEM-Focused School District: Administrators’ Roles and Experiences

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools and districts continue to emerge, and while some research highlights critical components to be included in STEM schools, there is a need to learn more about the process of becoming a STEM school or district. In this study, we investigated a rural United States school district’s development and expansion of its STEM education focus, which started in the years leading up to the district’s first STEM school opening in 2012. We addressed the research question: How is a district-wide STEM education vision developed, enacted, and sustained by various administrative stakeholders? We interviewed 11 participants, all of whom had some level of administrative responsibility related to the district’s STEM mission, coded interviews based on the critical components of STEM schools, and used narrative inquiry methods to describe the district’s STEM transition from these administrators’ perspectives. Our analysis revealed that several key critical components were central to this district’s STEM mission. These components included elements related to leadership, reform-based instructional strategies, and teachers’ professional learning. By focusing on different elements at different times and prioritizing several key components throughout, this district was able to achieve its goal of providing STEM instruction to all of the elementary and middle school students.

Pendampingan Pembuatan Dan Pengelolaan Data Elektronik Jemaat GKJ Wates

Church parishioners data management is an important part of the administration of a church. In fact, many churches do it manually where parishionersal data is stored in physical forms or in church record books. This condition happened at GKJ Wates. The initial condition at GKJ Wates is the data from of a physical form . The data is the result of the census about 2 (two) years ago. It is realized that the data has changed a lot, so it is necessary to update before implementing electronic data management. In an effort to assist the administration of the church's data, assistance steps have been developed that include the compilation of attributes relevant to the church's data management. Furthermore, the attributes are compiled into a form that is ready to be filled out by each parishioners. This agreed form is then distributed to the parishioners through their respective district administrators. The church team, assisted by the UKDW PkM team, recorded the parishioners's data electronically, complete with a spiritual journey scheme including baptism, sidi, and marriage. By utilizing Excel Macro, the electrical data of the GKJ Wates parishioners was successfully visualized in the form of a dashboard. The visualized parishioners data includes the percentage of the parishioners by blood type and gender, the church's spiritual journey scheme based on membership category, membership records, age category, and gender. The information on this dashboard can help the church in making decisions related to the development of the parishioners at GKJ Wates.

Growing Your Own Educational Leaders: Implications for Rural School Districts and Institutions of Higher Education

The purpose of this article is to examine a ‘grow your own’ model of leadership preparation and placement of educational administrators in the state of Tennessee. The growing need for school and district administrators in the rural counties of Tennessee mirrors a nationwide issue, and state policymakers and practitioners must respond appropriately to sustain adequate K-12 educational leadership that is representative of state demographics. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided for state and local education agencies as well as principal preparation programs in higher education.

Classroom Management Coaching for First-Year Urban Teachers: Purpose, Design, and Implementation

This qualitative study explores one urban district's purpose, design, and implementation of a unique classroom management coaching program for first-year teachers (FYTs). Through interviews of coaches, assistant principals, and district administrators, we identify why and how this program supported FYTs’ struggles with classroom management. Results highlight difficulties related to culturally responsive classroom management, which was mitigated by district coaches who provided individualized support. Data also indicates specific misconceptions held by FYTs, strategic district decisions in designing the coaching program, and challenges encountered throughout implementation. Findings have implications for the preparation and support of culturally responsive classroom management for FYTs.

An Examination of Principal Professional Development and its Alignment to Professional Standards and Professional Development Constructs

Principals need and require specific professional development that is rigorous, effective, and aligned to professional leadership standards and effective professional development constructs. This case study examined the professional development strategies, and practices, used by school districts and their alignment to the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSEL) and effective professional development constructs. School district administrators and principals representing the Southern San Joaquin Valley, a predominantly rural area of California, participated in this research via interviews and focus groups. This research is critical as rural areas are often underrepresented in educational research. The findings indicate a lack of intentional alignment of principal professional development with professional standards and professional development constructs. The findings call for districts to take an intentional approach to principal development that is aligned with these frameworks to ensure principals are provided with effective and rigorous support for their educational leadership, growth, and development.

Partisan Predictors for Collective Bargaining Agreement Items

The United States is rare among nations in its highly decentralized process for negotiating collective bargaining agreements with local teachers’ unions. To determine whether partisanship can predict these highly localized decisions, I construct an original database of Pennsylvania collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) merged with publicly available voter registration records to predict the presence of high-profile contract items. Using spatial autoregression and probit regression, I reveal that the partisanship of a school district is a significant predictor for fewer seniority protections but not for lower salaries. These partisan relationships can guide both district administrators and union leaders in future negotiations.

Exploring Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening Approaches in U.S. Public School Districts

Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. public school districts, we explored the current landscape of social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) approaches and their impact on behavioral outcomes. Data suggest SEB screening is the exception rather than the rule, with most districts reporting that students are referred to an internal support team when SEB concerns arise. Districts more likely to report SEB problems were identified and supported internally when they had elementary SEB programs, were located in urban areas, and had higher socioeconomic status levels. District administrators who reported that SEB problems were identified and addressed internally, including use of universal screening procedures, reported the highest levels of knowledge about their SEB approach as well as willingness to change their practices.

School District Administrator Perceptions and Hiring Practices of Teachers Who Participated in International Student Teaching Placements

This study investigated school district administrators’ perceptions and hiring practices of teachers who participated in international student teaching experiences. Thirty central office administrators from 12 states across the United States were interviewed. The responses and practices of these administrators and the districts that they represent were compared with the perceptions of student teachers and teachers from previous studies who had student taught abroad. Findings reveal that both teachers and administrators believe that there are a multitude of benefits to international student teaching and that this experience ultimately impacts student learning. While they also believe that such experience should be accounted for in the hiring process, very few districts have a formal way of accounting for international student teaching experiences. Recommendations include how districts might adjust their hiring process to account more specifically for the various of experience that teachers bring to their positions.